The Morphology Core is designed to provide center investigators, their collaborators and other renal investigators, cost effective access to morphological tools and services for the analysis of glomerular structure and the localization of specific gene products in renal cells and tissues. Structural alterations of the podocyte such as vacuolation, foot process effacement and detachment of foot processes from the glomerular basement membrane are cardinal features of podocyte injury and dysfunction of the glomerular filter. These are best defined at the ultrastructural level. The Morphology Core will provide access to reagents and expertise to examine the structure of the glomerulus using light and transmission electron microscopy. The expression of genes at the protein level can be assessed using immunohistochemistry, and/or immunoelectron microscopy. Successful attainment of these goals will enhance productivity by Renal Center participants, recruit new investigators to the study of renal development and pathophysiology, and make available to the scientific community new tools for the study of gene expression and molecular associations in the podocyte. The Core has an integrated administrative and budgetary structure to efficiently utilize resources and maintain control of reagent/service utilization.